Reading through my previous entries, I realised I had made 10 posts in the last 12 months. I’ve been pretty busy recently, but I don’t want to let this blog drop off my radar altogether. My friend (and Darkzero contributor) Sean recently began a daily blogging project, which has spurred me on to try and update this site more often. I’d like to manage at least one post per month, ideally more like two or three. I’m also going to try and post a review of every game I complete.

2009 seemed like a pretty weak year for games. I’m not sure how coloured my views are by the fact I couldn’t afford to buy many new titles, but when I look back at what I’ve been playing, the only games released last year were:

  • Street Fighter IV (looks ugly; plays great; less depth than SF3 but easier to get into)
  • Left 4 Dead 2 (wonderful – better than the original in every way)
  • New Super Mario Bros. Wii (not very challenging; co-op is fun but hard to co-ordinate)
  • Torchlight (excellent Diablo clone – totally unoriginal, but good if you enjoy grinding)
  • Dragon Age: Origins (a fierce throwback to infuriating dungeon-crawl RPGs of yore)
  • GTA: The Lost and Damned (good fun, except for the repetitive missions)
  • Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II (a series of good ideas ruined in fascinating ways)

There have been a few other games I wanted to play but missed out on (Little King’s Story, Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box and GTA: Chinatown Wars come to mind) but one way or another I’m sure I’ll get my hands on them eventually.

In 2010, I’m looking forward to Bayonetta, Mass Effect 2, Monster Hunter Tri, Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver, Dead Rising 2, Final Fantasy XIII, Brink, Fable III, that Miles Edgeworth game, Splinter Cell: Conviction if it ever sees the light of day, Super Street Fighter IV although I’ll be annoyed when they inevitably try to charge £40 for it,  rumours abound of GTA V popping up in time for Christmas, and hopefully we’ll get a PAL release of Muscle March.

Also in 2010, I’m going to continue learning to use UnrealEd and Hammer and fiddling around in Game Maker. I have begun doing some research into using games as an occupational therapy activity – more on that in a future post – which may eventually evolve into some kind of PhD project. But more importantly than all that, I have vowed that this is the year in which I will finally capture my first Mew.